Nothing's Fair in Love and War
by tmd38
Summary: Dean struggles with his feelings when Ruby comes back from hell. A little slow in the beginning, but gets so much better. Dean/Ruby
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I do not own Supernatural or any of its characters; all rights go to Eric Kripke.**

**I'm new to fan fiction, so please be nice! :)**

**Please review!**

**Happy Reading!**

Dean wasn't really sure when he had started to trust Ruby. Or when he had started to develop feelings for her. Still, it wasn't hard to hide his feelings. He turned his passion into anger, anger at having warm fuzzy feelings for a _demon_, and the insults came easily. Dean was sure to keep his punches light though, seeing Ruby bloody made his chest tighten.

His feelings for Ruby were a big gaping wound in his exterior armor, and when Ruby turned Sam against him, she had rubbed a big bucket of salt right in it. But Dean couldn't help feeling the slightest twinge of regret when he killed her with her own knife.

The aftermath of the apocalypse was over. Everything had settled down, but it was a little weird not to be worried about saving the world everyday. Dean and Sam were just getting back to regular hunting. Or as regular as hunting can get. They had found a job in Coffee Springs, Alabama. It was a vengeful spirit that killed it's victims by ripping them apart.

Sam was out getting food and Dean was cleaning his guns. It was always relaxing for him to let his mind wander while his hands were lost in the familiar motions.

A knock at the door jolted him out of his thoughts. Dean covered the gun with one of the sheets, and opened the door a crack. He was greeted by a familiar face. Blond hair, blue eyes, smug smile. Ruby.

"Hey Dean."

For a second, Dean was relieved, almost happy. But then logic and anger took over. He grabbed Ruby by the front of her leather jacket, pulled her inside and slammed her against the wall.

"I killed you!" He growled at her. "But I'll gladly do it again."

"No." Ruby's tone of voice was one usually reserved for the ridiculously stupid. "Lilith sent me back to Hell…remember?"

Dean didn't hear her. "How _dare_ you show up here after what you did?" He brought a hand to her throat, ready to choke the life out of her meat suit.

"I don't know what you're talking about." Ruby's eyes narrowed and she shoved Dean back. "The last time I saw you was when Lilith sent me back to Hell. Remember? In that little girl's house."

Dean grabbed the Colt from his duffel bag and flicked the safety. "You've got a lot of nerve coming here. You got Sam addicted on demon blood. You freed Lucifer from his cage! You turned my own brother against me." He spat, pointing the gun at her, ignoring everything that she had just said.

Ruby sighed. Dean clearly wasn't going to voluntarily have a civil conversation with her. So she did the only thing she could. She leaned her weight back and kicked one leg out, knocking the Colt from his grasp.

"Don't get your panties in a twist." Ruby said disdainfully. "Why would I come back here if I really did all that? I don't have a death wish. And do you really think they would just let me crawl back up from Hell? No, Alistair took me apart bit by bit every day for over two hundred years! So no, that wasn't me that screwed up your brother." By the time Ruby finished, she was out of breath and shaking in anger.

"Prove that you're really Ruby." Dean challenged.

"I saved your life by fixing the Colt in Ohio. You were about to be killed by some priest."

"But…that demon said she was you." Dean said. It was slowly beginning to sink in.

"Well, not every demon in a pretty meat suit is me. Do you know how many demons want to screw with you and Sam? And here I thought Sam was the brains of this operation."

Dean glared at her, but he was clearly defeated, with no reason to try to kill her anymore. "So what are you doing here?"

"It's not like I can just waltz out of hell and go do demony things. There are demons out there who want my head on a platter. So I'm going to hunt with you?"

"Isn't that ironic? A demon killing demon?" Dean smirked.

"I'm almost human." Ruby shrugged.

The sound of the door opening made them both turn towards it. Sam walked in, holding a white paper bag. He froze when he saw Ruby.

"You." He growled. Then, Sam pulled Ruby's knife from his belt and lunged at her.

"Wait!" Ruby dodged his attack and grabbed his wrist, twisting until he dropped her knife. She picked it up and wiped it off.

Sam glared at her, and then pulled a gun out.

"Sammy, hold on." Dean put a hand on the gun, slowly lowering it.

"Dean, she's a demon!" Sam said in disbelief. His brother was supposed to be supporting his decision to put a few holes in Ruby, not defending her.

"She's not the one who got you addicted to demon blood." Dean reassured.

"What, so this isn't that bitch Ruby?"

"Excuse me?" Ruby bristled. "That black eyed skank who fed you her blood wasn't me. It's really reassuring that all it takes for Sam Winchester to lose his head is a pretty face."

"But…she liked French fries…" Sam argued weakly.

"Everybody likes French Fries." Ruby rolled her eyes.

Dean chuckled. "That's true."

Sam glared at them both.

"Sam, maybe you're just mad at yourself." Ruby said softly.

"What? Why would I be mad at myself?"

"You can lead a horse to water, but you can't make him drink. Maybe you're mad at the choices that you made. She didn't _make_ you drink demon blood. It was your choice." There was a bit of taunting in Ruby's tone.

Sensing the animosity about to erupt, Dean stepped between Sam and Ruby. "You know something's wrong when _I_ have to stop you two from killing each other." He said, surprisingly reasonable. "Ruby, you shocked both me and Sam by coming back, so I think we all need to take a breather, because fighting is _not_ the answer."

"Well thanks, Ghandi." Ruby smirked, suddenly calm.

"I think I need some air." Sam said, taking deep breaths, but still glaring at Ruby. He stormed out, slamming the door behind him.

Ruby turned to Dean. "So I hear you stopped the Apocalypse. Mazel Tov." Her tone was snarky, as usual, but her eyes were genuinely happy.

Dean studied her face for a few seconds. He had missed their banter.

Ruby noticed his intense gaze, and what was left of her humanity was currently making her stomach do somersaults. She held Dean's gaze but finally looked down.

"Umm…You should go look for Sam. See if he's okay." Ruby said, taking a small step backward.

Dean nodded. "Yeah." He took one last look at Ruby and walked out.

The third shot of whiskey burned its way down Dean's throat. He had hoped that the liquor would wash away the though of Ruby, but clearly, he was wrong. Just when he was starting to get over the whole Apocalypse thing, Ruby had managed to slip back into his head. God, how that little bitch infuriated him…But still, he couldn't erase the image of her face, her curves from his mind.

Dean swallowed another shot. He scanned the bar for an easy pickup, someone to make him forget about the blonde demon that had just wiggled her way back into his life. His eyes zeroed in on a petite brunette with tan skin. Shoving all thoughts of Ruby deep down into the depths of his mind, Dean plastered his signature smile on his face and started to get up to talk to her.

"Hey." A female voice interrupted him. A voice that made all those feelings come flooding back up. Shit.

Dean turned around. "Ruby." He gave a quick smile.

"Drowning your sorrows in alcohol?" Ruby smirked. "Very Dean-like."

"How'd you get your meat suit back?"

"Dean, I'm not like most demons." Ruby began.

"I think we've established that."

"So, this isn't just a vessel. This is my actual body. Authentic artifact from the 13th Century." Ruby sipped amber liquid from a glass.

"How'd you manage that?"

"I took precautions before I died." Ruby said mysteriously, downing what was left in her glass.

"So you stuffed your body with preservatives." Dean eyed the empty glass. "I didn't know you drank bourbon."

Ruby leaned in closer. "There's a lot you don't know about me." She breathed into Dean's ear.

Her hot breath on Dean's ear sent a bolt of sizzling electricity down his spine. Damn.

Then, just like that, the moment was gone. Ruby straightened up and set her glass down on the bar. "I challenge you to a game of pool." She smiled at him and walked into the corner, where the pool table was. Dean took one more shot; his eyes glued on Ruby's ass, and followed her to the corner.

Several minutes into the game, Dean was smirking at Ruby. She was losing by a lot. "Ready to forfeit?" He asked, leaning against the table, a cocky smile on his face.

"Not quite yet." Ruby muttered, concentrating on the game. Then, in a burst of skill, she sunk all of her balls, and pocketed the eight ball.

Dean stood up, staring the table. "How'd you…"

"Oh come on, Dean. You do this in between jobs." Ruby sidled up next to him, grinning up at him victoriously. "It's a good thing we weren't playing for money."

"Really. Then what'd I lose?" Dean smiled back down at her, admiring the view of her face from up close.

Ruby's eyes wandered over Dean's body, on the pretext of choosing her prize. "Your jacket." She said, tugging lightly on the bottom of Dean's jacket.

Dean smiled and slid off his jacket. Ruby turned around to pick up her drink. Dean caught a whiff of her hair. It smelled light and floral, with a tinge of sulfur. The smell of sulfur reminded Dean of who Ruby really was. Not a regular hot chick. She was a demon. A soul from Hell. And just like that, Dean's good mood evaporated.

"I should go." He said gruffly, grabbing his jacket and walking towards the door. Dean didn't turn back. He could see Ruby's confused, hurt expression in the back of his mind, and didn't want to find out how big a number seeing it for real would do to his heart.

Dean breathed in the night air, trying to clear his mind. He resolved to lock down all those pesky feelings for Ruby with a flurry of one night stands. His self prescribed therapy. With a deep breath, he turned to leave, but found himself face to face with Ruby.

"Damn it; don't sneak up on me like that!"

"What was that?" Ruby demanded, crossing her arm and standing in Dean's way.

"Ruby, you're a demon." Dean explained. He had planned to say more, but really couldn't come up with anything.

"We were having fun."

"This can't happen." Dean ran a hand through his hair. "Look, we should just keep a distance from each other."

"Why?"

"Because you're a demon, Ruby!" Dean exclaimed. "A soul from Hell!"

"Could you be any more racist?" Ruby rolled her eyes. "You've been to Hell too!" She jabbed a finger into his chest.

"Yeah, but I didn't come back as a cloud of black smoke!"

"Is that what bothers you?" Ruby stepped closer. "I told you, this is my body. It's me, every single part of it." She gestured to herself.

At a lack of words, Dean just looked down at Ruby. He didn't really notice that their heads were drifting closer together until he felt her hot breath on his lips. Then he quickly pulled back.

For the second time that night, Dean was walking away from Ruby. He got in the Impala, and drove away, not sure what to think anymore.

**So Dean's struggling with his feelings, and as always, he's shoving them down. Ideas for the next chapter anyone? Please review, I'm very open to criticism! **


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: I do not own Supernatural or any of its characters! All rights go to Eric Kripke.**

**Don't be shy, please review!**

**Happy Reading!**

Dean found Sam back in their motel room, lying on his bed and staring at the ceiling.

"Where've you been?" Dean poked Sam's stomach.

"Out." Sam turned towards Dean. "Is she gone?"

"Here's the thing," Dean paused, trying to word his sentence in a way that would cause his brother _not_ to implode. "Ruby's gonna be hunting with us."

"What?" Sam sat up so fast that it made his head spin. "Now she's hunting with us?"

"Well, you gotta admit, we've gotten in some pretty tight situations."

"I can't believe you. When did you, of all people, go pro-demon?" Sam demanded.

"Since Ruby turned out not to be the demon that got you high on demon blood!"

"But she's still a demon, Dean. Just because she didn't do anything bad doesn't mean she won't." Sam protested.

Dean sighed. "Ruby's saved our asses more than once, and besides, you should know, she's not like all demons."

"Really. And how would you choose to prove that?"

Dean sighed. "Remember that job we did that ended with Ruby getting beat up by that demon Tammy?"

"The coven? What about them?"

"Afterwards, we had a heartfelt talk. And it felt _human_, Sammy. Completely, utterly, human. Like she was just a regular girl with black contact lenses." Dean's face was so sincere that it softened his brother's resolve.

Sam paused and thought for a second. "Did you sleep with her?"

"What? No! That…I can't even believe you would even say that! No, I did not sleep with Ruby. I mean, c'mon it's Ruby. It'd feel weird." Dean tugged at his shirt, trying to fight the heat rising to his face.

"Well if you haven't, you're going to. I'll play along, for your sake." Sam sighed. "We'll hunt with the reformed demon."

That night, they made a trip to the local cemetery.

"Why don't we let the newbie do the honors?" Dean handed Ruby a shovel and pointed at the grave. The headstone read Elizabeth Marsh, a serial killer from the early 1900s who ripped apart unfaithful husbands by tying half of them to a water mill and the other half to a tree. Her spirit had been disturbed when the mayor bulldozed her house, and was now rampaging the town.

Ruby rolled her eyes, but dug the shovel into the dirt. Ten minutes later, there was a hole in the ground. Ruby slammed the head of the shovel onto the wooden coffin. When she finally got the lid off, all she found was cushy white lining and a pillow.

"I hate to tell you this, but the bones are gone." Ruby tossed the shovel away. It landed on the ground with a thud. "I just dug for ten minutes for a fucking empty coffin. Great." She climbed out of the hole, wiping sweat from her forehead.

Sam and Dean peered into the hole. "Okay." Sam paused, thinking. "So Petrova had a private funeral with just her sister, right? So uh, maybe they kept her bones."

"That's kinda sick." Dean started to fill the hole. "Okay, so we should pay a visit to her family's estate."

They drove to the Marsh family estate, which had been reduced to an old house covered in cobwebs and dust.

"This place reeks of old money." Ruby said, looking up at the former plantation.

"Well, finding bones in a place like this ought to be easy." Dean passed Ruby a flashlight. "I'll take the first floor, you two take the second."

Sam acted like he wasn't pleased to be working with Ruby so as to not stroke her ego, but truthfully, he had grown quite fond of her. That is, before Dean went to Hell.

The air in the old house was musty and there were dust particles floating around. Despite all the cobwebs and dust bunnies, it wasn't hard to see the grandeur that the house had back in its prime.

On the second floor, Ruby and Sam split up the rooms, each taking three. On the second room, Sam found a pile of bones under the bed. "Ruby!" He called over his shoulder. "I found it!" He started to shake salt onto the dusty skeleton when he was thrown against the wall.

"Ruby!" He shouted. She was just in the doorway. "Burn the bones!" He started to move along the wall, an invisible force choking him. Then, it threw him out the window.

Thinking fast, Ruby pulled a bottle of gasoline from the duffle bag Sam left by the bed and quickly poured it over the bones. She pulled out a lighter, and forgoing the Winchester tradition of staring at the flames for thirty seconds, she tossed it onto the bones, setting them ablaze. A scream rang out and an invisible figure flew up in sparks.

Ruby rushed down the stairs, almost colliding with Dean as he was running up.

"Where's Sam?" He demanded. "Is he okay?"

Ruby shook her head frantically, continuing down the stairs. "The ghost threw him out the window." She ran out the side entrance and came to a stop at the pile of glass and wood. Sam was lying there, unconscious. There were pieces of glass in his abdomen and a gash on his forehead. Ruby knelt and pressed her fingers to his neck. She took hold of one of the pieces of glass and gave it an experimental tug. It came right out. "These are just surface wounds. His pulse is weak, though. He may have head trauma. We should get him to a hospital." She looked at Dean. "I'll clean this up so they won't ask us any more questions; you drive Sam to the hospital."

Dean nodded, glad that someone was able to stay calm when his brother was bleeding to death. He grabbed his enormous brother and dragging him to the Impala.

"It's okay Sammy, I've got you." He said, brushing pieces of glass out of his brother's shaggy hair.

An hour later, Ruby arrived at Coffee Springs General Hospital. Dean was sitting in the waiting room, a worried look on his face.

"Is he okay?" She sat down next to him, looking at the operating rooms in concern.

"A few broken ribs, a severe concussion, and internal bleeding. He's in the operation room right now. They have to fix the ribs so they don't poke into his lungs." Dean pressed the heel of his hand into his eyes. "He could die from this job."

"Someone's gotta do it." Ruby said simply. "You should go back to the motel and get some sleep. It's going to be at least another day before they let you see him."

Dean started to protest, but he knew she was right. "Fine. He said, stumbling to his feet. Ruby noticed an empty bottle of Jack Daniels by his feet.

"Do they even let you drink in the hospital?" She picked up the bottle, shaking her head. Putting an arm around him, Ruby helped Dean out of the hospital and into the car. When he fought her for the keys, she punched him in the face.

"You're so drunk that I wouldn't even let you ride a bike." Ruby started the engine and pulled out of the hospital parking lot.

Dean reached into the glove compartment and pulled out a smaller bottle of whiskey.

"Slowly killing your liver isn't going to help Sam." Ruby reached for the bottle, but Dean slapped her hand and opened it, taking a long swig. Seeing she couldn't change his mind, Ruby gunned the engine. The prospect of dragging an unconscious Dean into his motel room about as appealing as kissing her grandfather. Her rotting, seven hundred year old grandfather.

By the time Ruby pulled into the motel parking lot, Dean was so drunk he couldn't even stand. He had emptied the bottle of whiskey and had started on another one. Ruby had to half drag him up to the motel room.

Ruby let Dean fall into bed, and took off his shoes. Seeing his sweat covered clothes, she decided to let him sleep in his boxers. Lifting Dean's shirt, Ruby couldn't help but admire his sculpted chest and stomach.

When Dean was stripped down to his boxers, Ruby used the last of her strength to roll him over a few times and covered him with his blanket. As she was getting ready to leave, Dean sat up.

"Take me to a crossroads." He slurred. "I have to save Sam." He started to get out of bed, but Ruby pushed him down.

"No. If I remember correctly, the last time you tried to save Sam, you ended up in Hell. No offense, but your soul's ragged enough. Hell won't take you." She held him down.

"I can't let my brother die!" Dean struggled.

"Sam was devastated the last time you did this. How do you think he's going to feel if he finds out you sacrificed yourself once again to save him? He'd be ripped apart, Dean. Don't be selfish; don't do that to your own family."

"What do you know about family?" Dean growled. "Yours has been dead for seven hundred years. You have no one." He hissed.

He couldn't tell at first, but his last comment had hit home. "My family may be dead, but I still remember them, clear as day." Ruby snapped. "I loved them more than my own life, and I condemned myself to eternal suffering for them."

Dean's face softened. "Tell me."

Ruby paused, not ready to lower her defenses and expose her heart telling this story. But what the hell? Dean was drunk, and would forget it in the morning. "I was married," She began wistfully. "My husband's name was John. We were one of the rare couples that found happiness and love in their arranged marriages. I gave birth to twins, Margaret and Cassandra. They were so beautiful, so happy and full of light." She paused, her face darkening before telling the next part. "Then the Plague came. It swept all through Europe. People were dying all around me. Then, my family all got sick, except for me. I stood there, watching everyone I loved die. It was the most painful thing I had ever been through. Even more painful than Hell. Some people said that it was a miracle that I was still healthy. Others said that I was a witch. That gave me an idea. I was half crazed with grief. When Tammi came to me, I thought she was crazy, but I had nothing to lose. So I made a deal. My soul for witchcraft to save my family. Except, I didn't get the usual ten years before collection. I only got six months. Tammi said that three lives for one was already too generous. So I took what I got." Ruby paused to duck her head, trying to hide the fact that she was wiping a tear away.

"I'm sorry." Dean touched her hand.

"They got better," Ruby continued. "Or so I thought. They were too far gone to be saved. I couldn't cheat Death. The spells just prolonged their lives, made them look better, and feel better. It held Death. Then, the day before my collection, they died. My husband died right in my arms. My heart broke. I couldn't wait for the Hell Hounds to come get me, but the tiny part of me that was still thinking logically told me to take precautions. So I preserved my body with a spell, and cast my soul out of it."

She looked down at Dean, but he was already asleep. Ruby smiled softly, wiping away the tears on her face. She walked out quietly, her heart aching from revealing her painful past.

**I had alot of fun making up a past for Ruby. I hope you enjoyed it! Please review, it'll help me write so much faster! :)**


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: I don't own Supernatural or any of its characters. All rights go to Eric Kripke.**

**Please review!**

The hospital was white and bland looking. It reeked of antiseptics and people barely clinging to life. It was clear to Ruby why people had once thought that hospitals were places to go to die. Walking down the hall, she could hear patients wheezing and coughing, thanks to her enhanced demon senses.

Dean sat in Room 219, staring at his brother's motionless body. There was an IV of clear liquid attached to Sam's arm. The younger Winchester had bandages around his head and ribs as well.

"You both look like hell." Ruby sat down in a plastic chair and handed Dean a cup of coffee.

"I feel like hell." Dean's eyes were bloodshot, and there were bruises underneath them.

"He's not going to wake up anytime soon, you know." Ruby said bluntly. "They've pumped your brother full of chemicals. I could smell it from down the hall."

Dean was silent, but Ruby could feel the waves of magnified stress coming from Dean. As she got up to leave, Dean spoke. "About last night. I wasn't as drunk as you thought."

Ruby froze. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"Just…I understand." Dean said simply.

Ruby left the room in a daze. She had counted on the alcohol washing away Dean's memories of the previous night. Now that Dean knew her past, she felt vulnerable, like Dean could see right through her devil may care attitude.

Lost in her thoughts, Ruby wandered down the hall. She almost didn't see it. Almost. The man walking down the hall in the white lab coat. He had an air of arrogance, but Ruby could see right through it, right down to his flayed, Hell tortured soul, and could smell the sulfur clinging to his skin.

He was walking the same way as Ruby, just further down the hall. He entered a room and closed the door behind him. Looking both ways to check if no one was watching, Ruby ducked into the room and pulled out her knife. The doctor was standing at a table with his back to her, checking a clipboard.

As Ruby crept up behind him, knife poised to make a fatal stab; she heard a slight rustle behind her, something that never would've been picked up by the human ear. She spun around in time to see a nurse with black eyes behind her, holding a knife.

Ruby dodged a swipe, but backed into the doctor. Suddenly, her arms were being held behind her, and her knife being twisted out of her hand.

"So we finally found the little traitorous whore. And the funny this is, you led us right to the Winchesters. It's like killing three birds with one stone." The nurse gave a deranged laugh. Ruby noticed the symbols engraved on the nurse's knife. They were similar to the ones on her own knife. There was no coming back from being stabbed with this one.

The nurse poised to stab Ruby, but at the last second, Ruby leaned back, using the doctor as leverage and nailed the nurse with a two legged kick. With the element of surprised, Ruby twisted free and grabbed her knife, jabbing it through the doctor's eye and slitting the nurse's throat.

Ruby dragged the bodies behind the curtains and locked the room behind her when she left. Dean looked up, startled, when she burst into the room.

"I just killed two demons in the room down the hall." She said. "We've just topped Hell's Most Wanted. We should go."

Dean looked frantic. "We can't move Sam without hurting him."

"If you stay here, you'll die! Both of you. Just…call on your angel friend to come heal Sam." Ruby looked uncomfortable at the prospect of being in the same room as an angel

Dean looked up. "Cas, we're in a real tight spot here. Could kinda use a little angel help." Castiel appeared behind Dean.

"What are you doing with that?" Castiel looked at Ruby with disgust on his face, one of the rare instances his face showed emotion.

Ruby opened her mouth to retort, but Dean interrupted before she could say anything to anger the angel. "She's a friend. There are demons in this hospital, but we can't leave because Sam's comatose. Cas, I need you to heal him. Please."

Cas stepped closer to the hospital bed and placed a hand on Sam's forehead. After a while, he withdrew his hand. There was a red, irritated handprint on Sam's face.

"What the hell?" Dean exclaimed. "That's not supposed to happen, is it?"

"It seems that the copious amounts of demon blood Sam drank to kill Lilith has changed him slightly. My angelic abilities aren't going to heal him."

Dean looked distraught. "So my brother's not human?"

"He's still human, just…different." Cas looked at Sam curiously. "There's one thing that may help though."

"What?"

"Right now, your brother's body is very receptive to demon blood. There's a good chance it may, as you humans say, 'do the trick'."

Dean's expression went from concerned to shock. "You want him to relapse?"

"It's an option, Dean. I'll allow it to happen this time, but it's solely your choice." With that, Cas disappeared.

Ruby, who had been silent all this time, spoke. "Dean―"

"No," Dean said firmly. "You are not feeding Sam demon blood."

"If it'll help―" Ruby started, but she was cut off again.

"No! Sam's on the wagon now and it's been good for him. At the risk of sounding clichéd, the blood changes him, Ruby. I refuse to let my brother drink demon blood and get caught in that cycle all over again." Dean snapped, glaring at Ruby.

"It's either that or stay here and die! This hospital is crawling with demons." Ruby exclaimed.

"I'll figure something out. Keep your blood away from my brother." Dean stormed out.

Ruby took a deep breath and sat down next to the bed. After a few seconds, she stood up, eyes glued to the syringe sitting on a metal tray by Sam's bed. She picked it up and removed the protective cap. Using an alcohol pad to clean her arm, Ruby jabbed the needle into the inside of the elbow and pulled the plunger up, filling the syringe with her dark red blood. When she pulled the needle out, the entrance point healed immediately.

Ruby looked through the top of the door to check if anyone was coming. When she was sure that there wasn't any danger of a nurse coming in, she injected her blood into Sam's IV and watched as the red liquid moved down the line and into Sam's system.

Dean stood outside, contemplating the circumstance. He knew that he didn't have a lot of time, but he couldn't be in the same room with Ruby without starting another argument with her.

"Dean!" A voice startled him. Dean turned around to see Sam walking out of the hospital with Ruby. Anger flooded through him when he realized what Ruby had done.

"What did you do?" Dean demanded, walking towards his brother and Ruby.

"I healed your brother." Ruby's smile said that he should be thanking her, not yelling at her.

"I specifically told you not to feed my brother demon blood!"

"I didn't feed him my blood." Ruby smiled smugly. "I gave him an infusion."

"It doesn't matter what the fuck you did! You knocked him off the wagon!" Dean shoved Ruby.

"Dean," Sam stepped between Dean and Ruby before Ruby could retaliate. "It's alright, I'm alright."

"No, you know what the blood does to you. You _know_." Dean growled angrily.

"Okay, yeah, I do know. But this is it, okay? It's just a little to heal me, and I'm not taking any more." Sam said reassuringly. "It's not like I have anywhere to get it from, unless I take on Ruby." He joked. No one laughed.

Shooting another dirty look at Ruby, Dean turned and started walking to the car.

"Douche bag." Ruby muttered before following him

Sam couldn't help but smile. They were back at square one, with Dean and Ruby at each other's throats with Sam mediating.

The ride out of Coffee Springs was silent. Sam could feel the tension between his brother and Ruby. He didn't exactly approve of his brother's driving right now, but Sam never did. Dean always drove too fast, but when he was mad, his foot was always pressed down on the gas pedal.

"Dean?" Sam said tentatively. "You might wanna slow down. You're at least fifteen miles over the―" The look Dean shot him made Sam stop in his track. "Okay then. You just keep driving."

The moment they stopped and checking into a motel, Dean dropped everything and was about to head to the nearest bar when Sam stopped him.

"Don't be mad at Ruby. It's okay, that was a one time thing, it's not going to happen again." Sam said.

"You don't know that. The last time you fell off the wagon, you drained two demons and couldn't stop yourself!" Dean exclaimed angrily.

Sam's face darkened. "That was under Famine's influence!"

"What's to say it won't happen again?"

"Are you saying you don't trust me to control myself?" Sam asked in disbelief.

"I'm saying that I don't know what you're going to do, Sam, demon blood doesn't exactly make you a better person."

"It's really encouraging to know that your older brother doesn't trust you." Sam said sarcastically.

Dean couldn't reply. Instead, he left and walked towards the nearest bar.

As Dean was about to take his first shot, he caught a motion out of the corner of his eye. A blonde sat down on a bar stool, a few chairs down from him. Dean eyed her appreciatively. Her body was lean and toned, with just the right amount of curves. He couldn't see her face from this angle, but he was sure that her face was just as hot as the rest of her.

"Hey, sweetheart." Dean had walked over to her, intending to take her home that night. She turned around, and Dean felt heat rush to his face. It was Ruby, with an arrogant smirk on her face.

"Hey Dean." She said, smiling seductively.

"I shouldn't even be talking you after what you did." Dean said angrily. He turned and walked out of the bar.

Ruby sat motionless for a while, before her humanity made her go look for Dean. She found him outside, walking back towards the motel.

"Dean!" She called, jogging to keep up with him.

"Fuck off." Dean started to take bigger steps.

"You have no right to be mad at me." Ruby started to half run in an effort to keep up with him.

"I shouldn't be mad at you?" Dean sneered. "Of course not, you just condemned my brother to a week of suffering!"

"Sam's not going to drink any more demon blood!" Ruby said. "It'd be good for you if you got off your high horse and trusted your brother a bit more."

"Oh, _I'm_ on a high horse? I explicitly told you not to give Sam any blood, but you went right ahead and did it, like you know everything. News flash, Ruby doesn't know best!" Dean shouted, his face twisted in anger.

"I saved your lives! You could at least be a little grateful!"

Dean was drunk on anger. Words just poured out of his mouth. He couldn't stop himself from lashing out. "You should stop acting like you're human Ruby, because you're not. It's time for you to stop pretending like there's any humanity left in you. You proved that there isn't the moment you injected my brother with your blood." He walked off, but this time, Ruby didn't follow.

There was a violent storm of emotions inside Ruby. Emotions that she couldn't quite pick out yet. There was definitely anger, but the rest were indefinable. Ruby could feel them clawing their way up her throat; she had to get them out somehow. She noticed the Impala, parked ten feet away. Walking up to it, Ruby smashed her elbow through one of its windows.

Ruby knew how much Dean cared for his car. It was borderline insane. He talked to it and acted like he was in a long term relationship with it. That's why it felt so damn good to hurt him, like he had hurt her.

She just stood there, staring at the broken glass in the deserted parking lot. It was a while before Ruby realized she was crying. When she did, she couldn't stop. The fucking tears just kept coming. It had been centuries since she had felt emotions this strong. They made her ache, and not in a good way. Still, it was refreshing. No, Ruby assured herself, she wasn't a masochist. It was a relief to know that even though she had burned in Hell countless times, she could still feel. That even though she technically wasn't human anymore, this was the closest she could get, despite all the things she had done and all the people she had killed. And that thought, that single, crystal clear thought, made every ounce of pain worth it. It slowly became clear to her that Dean Winchester was the only person who could ever make her hurt so much, but want it so bad.

**Wow...the intensity...**

**You're awesome for reading this, and you know what makes you more awesome? Yep, if you review.**


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: I do not own Supernatural or any of its characters. All rights go to Eric Kripke.**

**Please review!**

"That bitch. That fucking bitch." Dean growled through gritted teeth as he stared at the glass sprinkled on the asphalt. It was like a slap in the face when he had seen the broken window and the shattered glass underneath his car. Anger immediately flooded him, but to his surprise, there was a little part of him that said, _Well, you kind of deserved it. You did say some pretty awful things last night._ Unfortunately, the anger in him took over and beat that little part of him up. Dean walked up to Ruby's room, intending to unleash his wrath and beat the hell out of her.

Forgoing common courtesy, Dean kicked open the door. Ruby was lying on her bed, staring at the ceiling. She didn't even look up when Dean burst in.

"I'm sorry." She said before Dean could say anything.

That answer caught Dean by surprise. He wasn't used to Ruby apologizing. Hell, he had never even heard the word 'sorry' pass through Ruby's lips. Dean narrowed his eyes. "Are you crazy?"

"Excuse me?" Ruby sat up.

"You must be fucking out of your mind!" Dean shouted. "You fucking broke my baby!"

Ruby was unfazed by the yelling. "Okay, I'm sorry for breaking the window."

"Sorry isn't enough. I can't believe you had the nerve to fucking break a window on my baby!"

"Fine." Ruby stood up. "Do you want to hit me? Go ahead."

Dean eyed her suspiciously. "Go ahead? You're asking me to hit you?" His suspicion and curiosity overcame his anger. "Seriously, are you high?"

Ruby rolled her eyes. "Look, if you're not going to hit me, we should get going. I found a case in Virginia. There's something pulling people into a lake, and the lake's been swept for bodies, but they found nothing. I did some research, and there have been no violent deaths or suicides, or drownings for the past 50 years. It's a happy town."

"You just cracked a window on my car and now you're acting like nothing ever happened?"

"What?" Ruby said, irritated. "Do you want to stand here and bitch like a spoiled teenage brat?"

Dean glared at her. "You're paying for repairs."

Dean found Sam standing by the Impala. There was an amused expression on his face. "She smashed a window?"

"Can you believe that bitch?" Dean ran a hand over the hood of the Impala. "I'm sorry baby, it won't happen again. I won't let her hurt you."

"You're lucky that's all she did." Sam chuckled.

"What the hell do you mean?"

"Dean, the entire motel heard your argument. It's like both of you were holding megaphones." Sam said. "Ruby's female, Dean, you haven't been around them for long enough, but I've learned a few lessons."

"Sam, I hope you're not being sexist, because that's something I'd expect coming from me, not you."

Sam rolled his eyes. "Look, the point is, the things you said to her, any other girl would've probably smashed the entire car with a crow bar."

"If you haven't noticed Sam, Ruby is anything but a regular girl."

"Why do I even try?" Sam shook his head and walked away. It wasn't hard to see the sparks between Dean and Ruby. The problem was, their relationship was so unstable, that the sparks came and random times and flew in random directions. Only Sam could see that there was a powder keg sitting there, waiting to explode, and one day, one of those sparks would touch it, and boom. Sam hoped that he wasn't there to see it happen, because frankly, walking in on his brother having sex once was enough to make him want to claw his eyes out.

Dean had made Ruby and Sam wait outside the body shop for two hours while he was getting the window fixed. There was silence at first, but then Sam spoke up.

"You were right." Sam said quietly.

"About?"

"I'm not as mad at fake Ruby than I am at myself." Sam said.

"I'm sorry, I really like sharing feelings, I really do, but why are you telling _me_? You don't like me." Ruby asked. "Don't you and Dean tell each other everything? If it weren't for your southern upbringing, I wouldn't be surprised if you two were jumping each others bones by now."

Sam pulled a face, but continued. "I could tell that there was something off about her. But once she started giving me her blood, I could've cared less. The blood made me feel powerful, like there was at least one thing in my fucked up life that I could control. I guess I just needed someone to blame."

There was a moment of silence as Ruby struggled to figure out what to say. "Are you apologizing?"

Sam gave a wry laugh. "Yeah, I guess I am."

"Well then I graciously accept your apology." Ruby smiled.

"It's okay, you know." Sam said.

"You've gotta stop with those half sentences. It's okay for what?"

"It's okay for you to like Dean."

Ruby tensed up, then gave a fake laugh. "Yeah. Sure. Look, Sam, I may have some of my humanity, but I doubt I'm gooey or _desperate_ enough to go for your brother."

Sam watched as Ruby spilled some crap about not liking Dean, but her eyes told the painful truth. There was something there, something too close to affection for Ruby to be comfortable with, much less admit to.

"Alright!" Dean came out of the garage; there was grease on his forehead. "Almost done. Ruby?" He extended a hand.

Ruby grudgingly pulled out a platinum AmEx card from her jacket pocket and handed it to Dean.

"I'm guessing that was stolen?" Sam said.

"Yep, I lifted it off of some trust fund baby in New York. She probably doesn't even know it's missing." Ruby laughed.

The Impala rolled out of the garage.

"Come on, get in!" Dean called to Sam. He glared at Ruby. "I swear to God, if you ever hurt my baby ever again, I will fucking send your demonic ass back to Hell."

"Aww, did I get my first strike?" Ruby fake pouted. She laughed and slid into the backseat.

"Why's the FBI investigating all these drownings?" The police chief asked.

"Well, there were a series of drownings a few years back that we investigated, but never really got to the bottom of. We'd like to see if this is the same thing." Sam lied smoothly.

"Who's she?" The chief gestured at Ruby, who hadn't flashed a badge.

"She's a consultant for the FBI." Dean said. "We'd like to see the case file." He said, switching the subject back to the case.

"Of course." The chief gave Ruby one last suspicious look before going to retrieve the file.

"Well, he sure likes you." Sam gave Ruby a little nudge.

The chief came back out of his office with a thick file.

Dean eyed the file. "So how many people have died, exactly?"

"Seven." The chief handed him the file. "I knew some of them. They were good people."

"We'll work our hardest to make sure that we bring justice to the people of this town." Dean said. As they left the police station, Dean flipped through the file. "Okay, so, lets go talk to the latest victim's family. Her name was Alicia Keen. Her parents are dead, and her only living relative is her brother, Isaac. He's currently at...group therapy." Dean raised an eyebrow.

"It's not uncommon for people who have been through traumatic experiences to seek out professional help." Sam said knowledgeably.

"Alright, Doctor Phil." Dean started the engine.

"You're kidding me." Dean stared at the listing outside of the therapy room. "He's not at group therapy for his life changing experience, he's here for sex addiction."

"That seems like the place for you, Dean." Ruby joked.

"Shut up." Dean glared. "I sleep with a reasonable amount of women."

"Yeah." Sam scoffed.

The door of the therapy room opened, and people started walking out. Dean stopped an attractive man in his late twenties.

"FBI," He flashed his badge. "We'd like to ask you a few questions about your sister Alicia's death."

"Yeah, uhm, why don't we go outside?" Isaac said. As they walked, his eyes slid over to Ruby. He was eying her, and Rudy eyed him right back.

Dean looked back and forth from Isaac to Ruby. Their eye fucking made him feel uncomfortable. Actually, a little bit more than uncomfortable, it kind of pissed him off. He subtly stepped between Ruby and Isaac.

"Is there anyone who would want to hurt your sister? Did she have any enemies?"

"Leesh was one of the sweetest people I've ever known. Everyone loved her. Her best friend would always compete with her, but it was just friendly competition, they were always inseparable."

Hitting a dead end on the witches, Dean moved on. "Before your sister's death, did you notice anything strange?"

"No," Isaac shook his head. "Leesh was an amazing swimmer, she went to swim in that lake every day. But," He paused. "I did find something strange after."

"What?"

"I haven't told the police yet because I found it right before I left for my session, but I found a human heart washed up on the shore of the lake. That's not all I found. There were more hearts, lungs, livers, kidneys. There were seven in total."

"Seven victims." Dean muttered. "Can we see them?"

Sam pulled on latex gloves and poked at the organs. "There's nothing abnormal about them, they're just water logged."

Dean smiled at Isaac, impatient to move on, as the man was still undressing Ruby with his eyes. "Alright thank you for your time call us if you have any more information." He said quickly, pressing a card into Isaac's hand. Dean walked out the door, making sure he stayed behind Ruby so Isaac couldn't check out her ass.

When Ruby was safely in the car, Dean gunned the engine and drove off.

"I feel like I've heard of something like this before..." Ruby frowned, trailing off. She concentrated, trying to jog her own memory. Then, it hit her. "Dean, I know what we're hunting!" She exclaimed excitedly.

"Enlighten me."

"Okay, when I was really young, I had a Scottish nanny. She used to tell me all these myths. I remember one in particular. The Each Uisge."

"Are you choking?" Dean frowned at the strange name.

"No, it's Gaelic. It's a half horse half man thing that eats people. They don't eat certain parts and let them float to shore as a reminder of the event. They can shapeshift, and inhabit lakes and seas."

"I don't suppose your nanny told you how to kill one?" Dean asked.

"She told me a story. This guy's daughter didn't come home one day, and he found her heart and lungs by the lake. He was heartbroken and was set on killing the monster. So he and his son heated up iron fish hooks and cooked some sheep meat to entice the monster, and when it came up to eat, they killed it with the fish hooks."

"That's very...primitive." Sam said. "It actually sounds easier than a salt-and-burn."

The next night, Dean, Sam and Ruby were sitting on the shore of the lake, roasting a slab of lamb's meat. Instead of fishhooks, Ruby had managed to procure a harpoon launcher. Dean eyed it uncomfortably, like it would go off at any second. Ruby's hands were covered with leather; iron burned demons too.

"Alright." Ruby picked up the meat with a pair of tongs. "Who wants to do the honors?"

Dean took the tongs and walked over to the edge of the water, waving the piece of meat back and forth. Ruby waited behind him, ready to shoot whatever came out of the water. After several seconds of silence, nothing happened.

Sam looked at the water doubtfully. "Are you sure you got that right?"

"I'm a hundred percent sure, just wait." Ruby snapped.

"I feel stupid." Dean turned around a glared at Ruby. Then, something cold and wet curled around his ankle. With a quick tug, it pulled him into the water.

"Shit!" Ruby shouted. She quickly took off her jacket and picked up an extra harpoon. Holding the iron with a gloved hand, she dove into the murky water. The cold hit her hard. Every cell of her body was tingling, and not in a good way. Despite the sting of the water, Ruby opened her eyes and started swimming down, scanning the water for Dean.

For once, Ruby was glad that she was a demon. Her enhanced senses allowed her to pick up the strangled gurgles that emitted from Dean's mouth. Far down in the lake, Ruby could see the top of Dean's head. As Ruby swam deeper, the water got colder and darker, and she began to have trouble seeing anything. Her ears popped with the pressure, and she began to wonder how far down they would have to go before her head exploded.

If she were human, Ruby might have just swam by the monster. But she wasn't. A flicker of movement caught her eye, and she zeroed in on a huge creature with a horses head. It was holding an unconscious Dean in his arm. Ruby swam closer and slashed at it with the harpoon. The iron cut a sizzling wound into it's chest. Lucky for Ruby, the monster wasn't exactly willing to drop its dinner and a lamb chop, so he was weighed down with a full grown man. Swimming closer, Ruby jabbed at the other arm, trying to make the thing let go of Dean. Ruby knew she had to hurry up, or Dean would die. Ruby stopped moving, and let the slow current drift her closer to the monster. Then, in a burst of speed, she lashed out and impaled the each uisge with the iron.

It's limbs slowly went slack, and Ruby snatched Dean from it's grasp. She could slowly feel her vessel losing consciousness, and she kicked violently at the water, her lungs screaming for air. Air wasn't going to her brain, and Ruby couldn't tell whether she was swimming up into the air or down, towards the bottom of the lake. At this point, she couldn't really care. She was almost dead anyways; there were black edges around her vision. The only thing that made her keep feebly swimming was the fact that Dean was in her arms and he didn't deserve to die this way.

Suddenly, a strong hand gripped Ruby by her shirt and hauled her up. Sam dragged Ruby and Dean out of the water, his muscles straining. Although she was out of the water, Ruby felt dangerously lightheaded, and the black at the edges of her vision had began to move towards the center. Soon, Ruby couldn't see, hear, or even think; she could feel her brain shutting down, her heart's feeble beats. The last thing she saw was Sam pumping Dean's chest. A few seconds later, she was floating in a world of black softness, and everything seemed to just wash away.


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer: I do not own Supernatural or any of its characters. Rights to to Eric Kripke. It's his idea, I'm just doing what I can with it.**

**Enjoy! Please please review!**

For the first time in seven centuries, Ruby was dreaming. She had almost forgotten what it felt like to be drifting around in her own mind. Although the dream was boring and bland, it was still something. There was white everywhere; it was so bright, it hurt her eyes. Almost like a white room, but Ruby couldn't see the walls or the ceiling.

"So this is what Heaven looks like." She said to herself, walking straight ahead. She was just walking into whiteness. Ruby wasn't sure whether the distance was endless, or if she was about to walk into a wall.

"Ruby." She froze. That voice…it was one that she hadn't heard in a long time. Slowly, Ruby turned around. The face she saw made her dizzy. Light brown hair, hazel eyes with a playful twinkle, a strong nose. He stood not ten feet away from her, dressed in modern clothing.

"John." That name was music. Seeing him made her feel warm and safe, like she had just come home. Ruby took a few steps towards him, feeling weightless, like she was floating towards the man she loved.

"I've missed you so much." Ruby whispered, her voice thick with emotion. "I'm so sorry, I couldn't stop it."

"It's okay, Ruby. You did your best." John smiled and reached out, taking her into his arms. "You can let it go, move on."

"Am I dead?"

"No, angel. You're not." Ruby could hear the sadness in his voice.

Through the warmth and comfort of his embrace, a single, troublesome thought poked through. _He's not real. This isn't real. It's just a dream_.

Ruby looked up. "Then…You're not real." She murmured. "This is just a dream." She felt a tear roll down her cheek.

"That doesn't mean you can't enjoy it." John brushed her tears away with his thumb.

"I don't want to wake up. I just want to stay here with you." Ruby whispered. "It hurts out there." She admitted.

"I know." John kissed the top of her head. He leaned down to kiss her.

Ruby closed her eyes, preparing to feel her husband's lips on her own, for the first time in a very long time.

But she didn't. The moment John's lips touched hers, she woke up.

Compared to the stark whiteness of her dream, the motel room was dark and depressing.

"Ruby?" Sam leaned over her, his face blurred.

"Mmm." Ruby groaned. "Water."

A cool glass was held to her lips. Ruby took slow sips, reveling in the cool liquid making its way down her throat. When she tried to sit up, the room started spinning, and she lay back down. Looking under the blankets, Ruby saw that she was only wearing a huge T-shirt, obviously Sam's.

"You stripped me?"

Sam blushed. "You were soaking wet. How do you feel?"

"Like shit." Ruby groaned. "What happened?"

"You don't remember? You pulled Dean from the lake, and then passed out."

Ruby nodded. She could dimly remember murky water and not being able to breathe. "How's Dean? Is he okay?"

Sam gestured at the bed next to Ruby's. "He's still out cold."

Ruby propped herself up, ignoring the dizziness in her head. "How long have I been out?"

"About a day." Sam was staring at her.

"Do I have something on my face?" Ruby felt around with her fingers. "What?" She asked again when Sam didn't answer. Then, Ruby became aware of a dull throbbing in her wrist. Looking down, she saw a long cut across the inside of her wrist. "Sam," Ruby began. "How did I get this?" She held up her wrist, showing him the cut.

Sam was silent. He looked at her like he was about to jump her.

"Holy shit." Ruby's eyes widened. "Please tell me you didn't bleed me while I was unconscious."

"Your arm just got caught in a bush." Sam looked down.

"Bullshit! I've never come across any plant that could fucking slash someone's wrist." Ruby got out of bed. "Dean's going to kill me. Sam, I only gave you the blood because you were in a medically induced coma. You're not supposed to fall off the wagon."

Sam backed up. "Look, it's fine. I just needed to fuel my strength so I could carry you and Dean into the Impala from the lake."

Ruby rolled her eyes. "It's not fine. You're fucking 6'4. Do not stand there and feed me bullshit about not being strong enough. Sam, you've gotta stop. Did you see how upset your brother was when I gave you a little to heal you? How do you think he's going to react when he finds out that you're using again?"

"He's not going to find out." Sam said quietly.

"I'm not going to let you do this to yourself."

"Ruby, please." Sam pleaded. "Just this once, please? I'll stop, I swear. This is it. I'll go clean." When Ruby didn't say anything, Sam continued. "Please, I've hurt Dean so much; I just don't want to put him through anything else. I don't want to let my big brother down." He ended with his infamous puppy eyes.

Despite the fact that she was a badass demon, Ruby softened, because nobody could resist Sam's puppy eyes. "Just this once."

Sam's relief shone through. "Thanks." He let out the breath he'd been holding.

Ruby sighed. She started ruffling through her duffel bag, searching for clothes that didn't look like they belonged to a giant.

"I'm gonna go get some food." Sam said.

Ruby nodded and pulled out a pair of jeans and a red tank top. She glanced over at Dean. It didn't look like he would wake up any time soon. Ruby pulled Sam's shirt over her head and pulled on her own clothes.

"Nice ass." Dean's sleepy voice said from behind her.

"Dean." Ruby turned around. "How long have you been awake?"

"I woke up just now." Even though he was barely conscious, Dean still flashed Ruby a cocky smile. "I woke up to a very nice surprise." He winked at Ruby.

"I'd say it's more than a nice surprise. I hope you took a picture Dean, 'cause you're never going to see that ever again."

"What happened?" Dean sat up and rubbed his eyes, grimacing at the pain.

"I saved your ass." Ruby smirked. "Then Sam stripped you naked and put you to bed." Noticing Dean's pain, she added, "I'd take it easy if I were you. You were underwater for a long time."

"You pulled me out of the water?" Dean groaned and fell back against his pillow with a thump. "I'm never going to hear the end of this."

"Why, I wouldn't dream of mocking you about the fact that you were saved by a girl." Ruby walked over and pinched Dean's cheek. "My little damsel in distress." She laughed.

Dean made a face and rubbed his cheek. "Ow." He looked offended. "I was off caught off guard."

"Whatever helps you sleep at night." Ruby smirked and leaned back on her own bed.

* * *

The ringing was driving Sam crazy. He cracked one eye open and stared at the clock. 1:54 A.M. He groaned and reached for his cell phone.

"This had better be good.: He growled into the phone.

"You need to leave right now." Bobby said. " There's a small town in North Dakota that's crawling with demons. They've killed every hunter that went after them."

"And you want us to go?"

"Well, I figured, you have Ruby. That should be an advantage. The town's called Velva. I suggest you step on it." The line went dead.

Sam flopped back on his bed for a few seconds and then climbed out of bed. He shook Sam awake.

"Gnhhh." Dean said. "I was sleeping." He complained.

"Dean, we gotta go. There's a demon infested town in North Dakota."

Dean groaned and rolled over.

"Get up!" Sam shook his brother. He didn't move. Sam sighed and grabbed a glass of water off of the night stand. He dumped it on Dean's head.

"Shit!" Dean sat up, the coldness of the water making him jump.

"Get dressed, Dean. I'm going to go get Ruby. Don't you dare go back to sleep." Sam warned.

Sam knocked on Ruby's door. It opened to reveal a fully dressed Ruby.

"Knocking on my door in the middle of the night? This is like the start of a bad porno." Ruby smirked. "But you're not that type of guy, Sam, so what's up?"

"There's a demon infested town in North Dakota we have to get to."

"It's a good thing I rarely sleep." Ruby picked up her duffel bag and closed the door behind her. "I'm guessing Dean's still sleeping?"

A few minutes later, they were all standing outside the Impala. Sam and Dean were arguing about who was going to drive. After a while of watching the monkeys bicker, Ruby stepped in.

"_I'll_ drive, since I'm the only one who's not on the brink of falling asleep."

Dean glared at her. "There is no way I am letting you drive after what you did." He caressed the hood of his car. "You've gotta earn the right to drive baby."

"Are you kidding me?" Ruby crossed her arms. "You would really risk crashing this car? we all know that neither of you are in any condition to drive. Just hand over the keys."

"She's right, Dean." Sam said tentatively.

"Do you even know how to drive?" Dean asked suspiciously.

"Of course I do!"

Dean reluctantly handed over the keys. "Take care of my baby."

Dean was surprised. He could admit that Ruby was actually a good driver, despite the fact that she was driving way faster than Dean usually did.

"You should probably slow down once it gets closer to dawn. Don't wanna get pulled over." He said helpfully.

"Yeah, sure. Shouldn't you be sleeping?" Ruby said, taking in his bloodshot eyes.

Dean closed his eyes and quickly drifted off to sleep.

* * *

The morning sun was just starting to rise when they got halfway to North Dakota. Ruby flinched at the light and reached for her sunglasses. As she leaned over, she noticed the way Dean's face caught the sun. His hair and eyelashes were lit up. In the sun, his hair seemed gold instead of light brown. Ruby smiled. For some reason, seeing Dean sleeping peacefully made something stir in he chest. A feeling that Ruby was scared to identify. She turned her attention back to the road and swallowed hard, hoping to push down whatever feelings she had for Dean, no matter how small.

Knowing that Dean only listened to rock, Ruby cranked the volume up and turned on the radio. Loud rock music filled the car, jolting both boys from their slumber.

"Ughhh, bitch." Dean covered his ears and turned in his seat.

"Rise and shine!" Ruby called. "It's your turn to drive, Dean."

* * *

They had to walk three miles to town because the road into Velva was blockaded. By the time they got to town, all three of them were sweating.

"I need a beer." Dean declared.

"The town's deserted." Sam pointed out. "Everyone's either possessed, dead, or hiding."

Dean groaned. "Great. So I guess this is where you come in, Ruby. Find us some demons."

"I'm not a bloodhound!" Ruby said, crossing her arms. "I can sense some demonic residue and smell some sulfur, but none in concentrated areas. It's just all over this town. I'll tell you if there's anything else, but for now, we're clear."

Sam started making his way to a convenience store. Once he was inside, he started filling his duffel bag with salt.

"I'm starting to feel a little uncomfortable." Ruby said, fidgeting nervously.

"It's not like we're going to attack you." Dean said.

"Not everything's about you, Dean. If you didn't notice at the hospital, I'm at the top of Hell's Most Wanted. A town infested with demons isn't exactly the safest place for me to be, especially with you two." Ruby said pointedly.

"It was your choice to hunt with us. If you don't like it, you can leave."

"You could at lease show a little bit of gratitude, you idiotic douche bag. I saved your life." Ruby snapped, her temper flaring.

"You're the one who endangered it in the first place!" Dean shouted back.

Sam hastily stepped in between the two. It looked like they were about to start going for each others throats. "Okay, just, calm down. We need to work together, we're outnumbered in this town. You two can fight it out after we cleanse this town."

Ruby and Dean glared at each other, but submitted.

"Okay, so it's gonna be a problem getting rid of these demons." Sam said.

"What are you talking about? You have the Colt, I have my knife. Just nail those suckers." Ruby pulled out her knife.

"We're talking about an entire town! We can't just kill them all." Dean said condescendingly.

Ruby glared and was about to retort when Sam put a hand on her arm, silencing her. "Okay. So we can't gank an entire town. Fine. Is there a school around here?"

"There should be. Why?" Sam asked.

"Schools usually have a speaker system. So if I can lure all the demons in there, Sam can talk over the speakers and exorcize them." Ruby explained.

"What about you?" Dean asked. "No matter how much humanity you have, you're still a demon."

Ruby tapped a small tattoo on her wrist. "This binds me to my vessel. So we're good to go."

* * *

A few hours later, Ruby was standing behind a building full of demons, waiting on Sam's command. Even though she was sure that her plan would work, Ruby was nervous. If she slipped up, it was over for her. Back to Hell; and this time, by the time she would get out, the Winchesters would be long dead. Her heart was racing, her palms were sweaty, and it was hard for Ruby to breathe.

A little later, her cell phone buzzed. Ruby glanced at the screen. A text from Sam. _We're ready._

"Showtime." Ruby muttered and pulled out her knife. She approached a door and with a quick, strong kick, she knocked it down. The intrusion startled several of the demons inside. Sudddenly, the population of an entire town was staring at her menacingly. Demons started throwing punches that Ruby dodged nimbly._  
_

Ducking under an arm, Ruby shoved her knife in the chest of an old man, and kicked another demon in the face. Instead of diving deep into the crowd and killing as many demons as she could, Ruby started to back out the door slowly, bringing the front line of demons with her.

* * *

It had been a several minutes since Sam had called Ruby. Dean was starting to worry. Maybe it hadn't been such a great idea to send Ruby out there alone against an entire town of demons._ An entire town._ The meaning of those words suddenly sunk in. _What was I thinking?_ Dean didn't know what he would do if he had lost Ruby. This was a loose satire of the Ellen and Jo incident, and that was painful enough. Something in Dean's chest stirred, but this time, he didn't push it down. This might be the last time he heard from Ruby, and he didn't want to spend this time denying that he felt something for her, regardless of her species.

Dean was standing in a classroom near the main entrance, waiting to back up Ruby if she needed. Sam was on the phone, ready to read the exorcism at Dean's signal. His grip on the Colt was suddenly slick with sweat, and his chest was tight. Dean tried to reassure himself, tell himself that was the adrenaline of the hunt. But he wasn't fooling anyone, much less himself. He was deeply concerned for Ruby.

Just when Dean was sure he had lost her to a town of demons, the doors of the school burst open, and Ruby ran in, dodging kicks and throwing punches. Her fighting style was fluid, and somehow, amazingly beautiful to watch.

There was a large Devil's trap painted on the ceiling, in an off white that almost blended in with the white of the ceiling. When Ruby tried to run further down the hall, she hit an invisible wall. Turning around, she kicked lady with such force that she flew back, taking down a few people with her.

Then, everyone just stopped fighting. A man made his way to the front of the crowd. Ruby's face visibly paled.

"No..." She whispered. "Not you, John. Please."

"Hello, sweetheart." John grinned, his eyes flashing black. He hit Ruby in the face and followed that with a kick to her stomach. Dean watched in horror as he realized that Ruby wasn't fighting back. She slumped down, her back against an invisible barrier as John battered her.

"Sam now!" Dean said into the phone.

Almost immediately, Sam's voice was broadcasted through the school. "Exorcizamus te, omnis immundus spiritus omnis satanica potestas, omnis incursio infernalis adversarii, omnis legio, omnis congregatio et secta diabolica. Ergo draco maledicte et omnis legio diabolica adjuramus te. cessa decipere humanas creaturas, eisque aeternae Perditionis venenum propinare. Vade, Satana, inventor et magister omnis fallaciae, hostis humanae salutis. Humiliare sub potenti manu dei, contremisce et effuge, invocato a nobis sancto et terribili nomine, quem inferi tremunt. Ab insidiis diaboli, libera nos, Domine. Exorcizamus te, omnis immundus spiritus omnis satanica potestas, omnis incursio infernalis adversarii,omnis legio, omnis congregatio et secta diabolica. Ergo draco maledicte et omnis legio diabolica adjuramus te. Cessa decipere humanas creaturas, eisque aeternae Perditionis venenum propinare. Ut Ecclesiam tuam secura tibi facias libertate servire te rogamus, audi nos."

Ruby was writhing in pain at the first few sentences. By the end of the ritual, she was screaming in agony, hands covering her ears, curled into a fetal position. Through her haze of pain, Ruby could see black smoke coming from the mouths of all the townspeople. When it was over, Ruby could barely stand. There was blood dripping from her eyes and nose, and her head hurt like a bitch.

Dean rushed over. "Ruby, you okay?" He shook her gently.

"Unhhg." Ruby groaned. There were tears streaming out of her eyes, mingling with the blood. It hurt so bad. "It hurts..." She managed to whisper.

"It's okay, you'll be okay." Dean stroked her hair. It had hurt Dean to hear Ruby screaming out her pain. Every sound she made resonated and brought stabs of agony to his chest.

Dean looked up and fired a shot into the ceiling, breaking the Devil's Trap. He carried Ruby out of the Devil's trap and laid her down on a teacher's desk. There was blood streaming from her nose, and her breaths were shallow.

"John..." Ruby said weakly.

"It's okay. That bastard's back in Hell." Dean reassured her.

"He's in Hell." Ruby sobbed, tears spilling from her eyes.

"Dean!" Sam ran into the classroom. "Is she okay? He looked at Ruby, his eyes clouded in concern.

Dean hadn't realized that there were tears in his eyes until he looked up at Ruby. "What should we do? She's barely hanging on."

Sam thought fast. "Give her your blood." He said. "It should help recharge her essence."

Dean only paused for a millisecond before sliding the tip of a knife across his wrist. He pressed his wrist to Ruby's mouth and felt her tongue weakly lap at his skin. Surprisingly, it didn't hurt, not when Ruby was licking at the wound. Pleasure seeped into Dean's brain. It was way better and deeper than the pleasure he got from sex. It was more fulfilling, it stretched and filled all the holes in his soul.

When Ruby finally pulled back, the bleeding had stopped and there was some color back in her cheeks. Her eyes, however, were dead. There was no emotion in them at all. Without a word, Ruby slid off the desk, and walked out of the building.

* * *

Dean stood outside Ruby's door. He raised his fist to knock, but didn't know what to say. All he knew was that he had to say something, something to make Ruby feel better. After all, she had just gotten beaten up by her dead husband. _Fuck it._ Dean thought. He knocked. When there was no answer, Dean knocked again. No answer. He tried the doorknob, and was surprised that it was open.

Slowly, Dean walked in. The entire room was dark. Ruby lay on her side, staring at the curtains. Her eyes flicked to Dean as he came in, but she said nothing. Dean noticed tear tracks on her cheeks, and his heart contracted.

Dean stood there for a few moments, staring at Ruby. Then, he laid down next to Ruby and wrapped his arms around her body, pulling her closer. He didn't say anything, not yet. But he refused to let Ruby drown in her sadness. Not alone.

**TBC**

**Thanks for reading, guys! Please review, the more I get, the faster I write!**


	6. Chapter 6

It was a while before Ruby's mind processed that the warm body spooning up to her was Dean. She was so surprised that Dean was in her bed that she had racked her mind to see if she'd done anything stupid last night like sleep with him. Glancing over, Ruby breathed a silent sigh of relief as she realized that Dean was clothed. Then, her memory came flooding back. Dean had taken one glance at her pathetic wallowing and climbed into bed to hold her. God. Ruby swallowed hard.

Dean stirred at the slight shift in motion. He slowly awakened, blinking his eyes against the light. "Good morning." He said, his voice thick from sleep.

Ruby sat up, ignoring the rush of blood to her head. She opened her mouth to say something couldn't form the sentence. Instead, Ruby settled for looking down at Dean, taking in his sleep mussed hair and half lidded green eyes.

"How're you feeling?" He asked, propped himself up.

"You don't have to." The sentence came out in a flat tone. Ruby stared straight ahead, not wanting to meet Dean's eyes.

"I don't have to what?"

"You don't have to feel sorry for me. I'm a big girl. I can handle my shit."

"I don't feel sorry for you." Dean said quietly.

Ruby turned to face him, eyes blazing with anger. "Do you really expect me to believe that after all this time of hating me and wanting to put a few holes in me, you decided to grow a heart right after my dead husband beats the crap out of me?"

"I don't hate you."

"Don't be stupid, Dean, of course you do. You contradict almost everything I say, you pick fights with me whenever you can. If it's not hate, you at least strongly dislike me." Ruby scoff.

"I'm serious, I don't hate you or dislike you."

"Then what?" There was a long pause. Dean didn't answer. Ruby stared at him, waiting.

"I just..." Dean leaned forward and pressed his lips to Ruby's. The kiss took Ruby so off guard that she just sat there, frozen. But then, the warm heat of Dean's mouth drew her in and she responded eagerly, opening her mouth to deepen the kiss. After a while, the need for oxygen forced Dean to pull away, and they just sat there, looking at each other.

"So...I guess that answers my question." Ruby said quietly.

Dean laughed softly, then his face got serious. "Are you okay?"

"About the kiss or my dead husband beating me bloody?"

"Your husband."

"No, I'm not okay." Ruby whispered. She looked down at her hands. "It's just...when he was alive, John was the best I knew. He always went to church, was always honest...I don't understand how he could go to Hell."

Dean was silent. He felt weird, talking to the girl he had just kissed about her husband. It felt wrong.

Ruby noticed the look on Dean's face. "I can see how this is kinda uncomfortable for you." She forced a smile that came out more like a grimace. Ruby wanted to talk about what just happened between them, but she knew that the minute she did, Dean would bolt.

* * *

Their next job was a simple salt and burn. They had gotten it done in a few hours, and spent the time at a bar, unwinding from the job. Ruby kept glancing at Dean, expecting him to be checking out some skank at the bar, but he kept his eyes on his beer.

When Sam got up to go to the bathroom, Dean lifted his eyes and looked at Ruby for the first time that night. "Did I ever say thank you for saving me back at the lake?"

"Not explicitly."

"Well, thank you for saving my life. I owe you one."

"No, you don't." Ruby replied. "It's alright." The hair on the back of her neck rose. There was another demon nearby. "I'll be right back." She got up and walked in the direction of the bathroom. Making sure that Dean wasn't looking, Ruby slipped out the backdoor, following the scent of sulfur.

Outside, in the alley, Ruby could see the dark outline of a man leaning against a dumpster. She could feel strong demonic vibes coming off of him. Ruby pulled out her knife and walked quietly towards the figured, bending her knees slightly in a fighting stance. When Ruby was just ten feet away, the man turned around and Ruby felt her heart speed up and her knees weaken.

"Hello sweetheart." Her husband said."

"John." Ruby's voice wavered.

"I'm not here to fight." John said. "I've got a message for you from Crowley. He says that it's starting, and this is your last chance. Are you with us, or are you dead?"

"I'll fight with you the day Hell freezes over." The remark was supposed to come out as a fierce hiss, but somehow, her voice sounded small and it came out as a whisper.

"Darling, don't fight it." John said softly. For a moment he sounded like her husband, but then his eyes flashed black. "You're one of us. Embrace it. We're powerful, immortal. Why waste your time playing human?" When Ruby didn't answer, he smiled and walked away.

"What did you do to get a ticket to Hell?" Ruby asked, her voice finally obeying her brain.

John turned around. "I was in Heaven, Ruby. I was happy. Then they pulled me down, along with God knows how many other bastards. And then they turned me into this." He gestured at himself.

Ruby suddenly lunged at him, aiming for his chest with her knife. In a burst of speed, John twisted her wrist until she dropped her knife. He grabbed her throat and forced her against the wall. "I told, you, I didn't come here to fight. It's your own fault you provoked me." He slammed his knee into Ruby's stomach brutally hard. She could feel her insides bleeding. Then, John's fist connected with her cheek and Ruby willed herself to ignore the pain and the urge to scream out.

"Ruby!" Sam had come out the back door and was running towards John.

Knowing that he couldn't fight off both of them, John gave Ruby one last punch and jumped onto the dumpster, then onto the roof and disappeared from sight.

"Ruby!" Sam rushed to the limp body.

"Guuhhhh." Ruby moaned in pain and coughed up blood. She knew how she must look now. Pathetic, with blood all over her face.

Sam stared at all the blood. He tried to resist, he really did, but the metallic scent penetrated his willpower and he slowly brushed his thumb over Ruby's bloody cheek.

When Ruby saw what Sam was doing, she tried to move away, but her body twitched and a wave of pain ran through her abdomen. "Sam...no..." It hurt just to talk. "Please...think about Dean." She rasped.

But Sam's thumb went into his mouth, and he shuddered at the taste of Ruby's blood. He leaned down and ran his tongue up Ruby's cheek. She tried to wriggle away again, but couldn't. Her back stiffened in disgust. Ruby's eyes rolled back into her head as pain over took her.

Then, the back door opened and Dean walked out. He started running when he saw Ruby's limp body. Sam ran his tongue over his lips to remove any traces of blood.

"What happened?" Dean knelt by Ruby, his concern obvious.

"I'm not sure. I came out here and there was a guy beating her up."

Dean felt Ruby's neck. "There's a pulse. I think she's just unconscious. C'mon, let's get her back to the motel."

* * *

Ruby could dimly feel someone wiping the blood off her face with a washcloth. She made a small sound of protest when the cloth ran over her tender cheekbone. Then, she felt skin being pressed to her mouth. At first, Ruby thought that someone was trying to smother her and started to thrash. But when the blood started running down her throat, she stopped thrashing and started to lick at the cut, trying to draw more blood out. It was over too soon and Ruby whimpered when she felt the hand being moved away.

The pain started clearing up and Ruby could move without feeling pain in her stomach. Blinking at her blurry vision, Ruby looked over to see Dean watching her with a concerned expression on his face. Further observation showed that Sam was standing at the foot of her bed, staring.

"Thank God." Dean breathed.

Ruby struggled to sit up, ignoring the pain that still lingered in her body. "I have bad news." She watched Sam's face turn from impassive to frantic. His eyes pleaded for her not to say anything. For a few moments, Ruby enjoyed the effect that her words had on Sam.

"What?" Dean was tired of waiting.

"Crowley's pulling souls from Heaven and sending them to Hell." Ruby said. For a moment, she considered settling her personal vendetta and telling Dean that Sam was drinking demon blood again, but logic told her that this was more important.

"What?" Dean said in disbelief. "He can't do that. Can he do that?"

"Apparently he can. That's why my dead husband's now a demon." Ruby said bitterly. "You should call your angel friend. See if he knows anything."

Dean looked up. "Cas, we need your help on something. It's urgent."

"Yes?" Cas appeared behind Dean.

"Ruby thinks that Crowley's pulling souls from Heaven." Dean said.

"That's impossible." Cas scoffed.

"Go check my husband's little world. His name's John Williams." Ruby said.

Cas disappeared and reappeared a few seconds later. "It's empty." He said, puzzled.

"He just beat her up in an alley an hour ago." Dean gestured at Ruby's bruised face.

"John had a message for me from Crowley. He said that something was starting."

"If Crowley is pulling souls from Heaven, then he must have angelic assistance. That's highly unlikely. Perhaps you were mistaken."

"You've had angels betray you before, haven't you? Remember Raphael?" Dean argued. "Just check a few more Heavens, see if there are still souls in them."

Cas disappeared again. Several seconds later, he had a grave expression on his face. "I just checked the Heavens of five thousand people. All empty. It appears that there is a turncoat among my kind."

Ruby sighed. "That's really great."

Cas frowned like he didn't get her humor.

"Sarcasm." Ruby explained.

"Do you have any idea who this angel is?" Dean asked.

"There are millions of us. We outnumber the demons by more than half. It'll take a while for them to sneak out any more souls, especially with the new security protocols I've set up. Though one in particular has been missing for quite a while."

"Does Heaven have a most wanted list?" Sam piped up.

"No." Cas's face remained impassive. "I suspect that it's the angel Daniel. He's always been bitter about Michael being Father's favorite."

"The next thing we need is another Lucifer." Ruby complained, sliding out of bed.

Cas tilted his head. "I find your statement to be rather hypocritical, seeing as you're the one who help free him in the first place."

Ruby started to retort, but then literally bit her tongue when she remembered that this angel could smite her with a touch. So she settled for clenching her jaw and looking away.

"So we'll just summon Daniel and gank him." Dean said. "That's simpler than I thought it'd be."

"It's not that easy Daniel is one of the first angels ever created. It'll more than just a simple summoning spell. You need a personal effect of his." Cas explained. "Which is quite hard, since no one's seen him in over a thousand years."

Dean pinched the bridge of his nose. "Why is it that the moment we start to relax, the world tries to end itself?"

"I'm going to go look for something Daniel might've touched. I'll be back. Don't hold your breath." Cas disappeared.

"Angels are douche bags." Ruby said simply. She left and headed towards her own room, squeezing her eyes together, trying to erase the image of John slamming his fist into her face. All she wanted to do was just lie down and sleep until it went away.

Ruby was about to close her door when a boot was shoved between the door and frame. Ruby braced herself to fight and pulled the door back. She relaxed when she saw that it was only Dean. "What?"

"Can I come in?" Dean asked, shifting his weigh to his left foot.

Ruby opened the door wider to let him in.

"Are you okay?" Dean ran a hand through his short hair.

"You're not the only one who can take a beating. I don't break that easily. I'm fine." Ruby bristled.

"That's bullshit and you know it."

Ruby narrowed her eyes nut didn't reply. She didn't want to fight. She couldn't. Not when she was broken and beaten and tired. So tired.

Dean looked at Ruby, reading her expression. Tension slowly filled the air as they stood there, trying to figure out each others expressions. It wasn't really clear who moved first, but all of a sudden, Ruby and Dean were pressed together, from lips to knees.

This kiss wasn't anything like the one that happened that morning. This kiss was electrically charged with raw, desperate emotion and passion. Ruby couldn't get Dean's clothes off fast enough. Their lips only separated to pull off their shirts, and once they cleared the piece of fabric, their mouths were glued together again. Their hands wandered everywhere, as if they were trying to feel as much skin as possible.

Standing there kissing Ruby, Dean felt more connected to her than he did with Sam. It wasn't just lust though, it was something deeper. Something that went so deep that he felt as if he were touching Ruby's soul. But she was a demon.

As they fell back onto the bed, Dean finally knew, with clarity, that he was holding in his arms the only demon in the world who possessed a soul.

* * *

It was midnight when Ruby woke up. She glanced over, making sure that Dean hadn't snuck out. Nope, he was lying there right beside her. Ruby gave a little smile. Who knew that she would be lying in bed next to a hunter?

Ruby's smile faded as she processed this. Dean was a hunter. One of the best hunters. He would always be a hunter. And Ruby was a demon. Sooner or later, Dean would realize that too.

In a minute, Ruby was dressed and had her bag in her hand. She looked at Dean one last time, trying to take in the moment. And then, she was gone.

**TBC**

**Please review if you love Dean's bow legs. :)**


	7. Chapter 7

**I don't own supernatural. All rights go to Eric kripke.**

Someone was trying to break down the door. Dean cracked one eye open, wincing at the sunlight streaming in through the small opening in the curtains. The pounding at the door didn't stop. A quick check around the room showed that Ruby wasn't in bed, or in the bathroom. Suddenly, Dean was alert. His eyes scanned the room for any clue as to where she was. Her belongings were gone, and there wasn't a note in sight.

"Dean!" Sam called from the other side of the door.

Dean rolled out of bed and found his discarded boxers. He yanked them on and opened the door a few inches. Sam looked pissed.

'What the hell? It's ten in the morning." Sam spat. "You didn't come back last night. I called your cell phones like, thirty times and check ten seedy bars!" He pushed his way in and his eyes widened when he saw the mess on the floor.

"Yeah, sorry." Dean rubbed his eyes. "Have you seen Ruby?"

Sam smirked. "Oh the girl that you slept with last night? Nope, I haven't. It must be a refreshing change for you, aren't _you_ usually the one who sneaks out while the girl's sleeping?" He had his bitchface on.

"Shut up." Dean picked up the rest of his clothes off the floor and put them on. "All her stuff's gone."

"Wow. I thought you were supposed to be good in bed."

Dean looked at Sam weirdly. "She left after she slept with me. Ruby ran off after she slept with me."

* * *

Ruby leaned against a wall in the deserted parking lot, waiting impatiently for the ride. She had hitchhiked to Illinois, where she called an old friend to take her to Maine. A friend who was currently ten minutes late.

A black sedan pulled up next to the curb. Ruby sighed. Finally. She picked up her duffel bag and slid into the back seat, rubbing her eyes. Too late, she noticed a burly man sitting across from her. He had black skin, black eyes and was wearing a tailored black suit. He practically blended in with the dark interior of the car. The doors locked with a click.

"Hello sweetheart. Alan's a little...preoccupied right now. But I'm here to take you to your destination." A sugary voice purred from the front seat. A petite blonde was sitting in the drivers seat. She glanced back at Ruby through the rearview mirror. "I haven't seen you since the last time we were both downstairs. Of course, I was smart enough not to get sent back. I've missed you." She smiled menacingly.

Ruby's eyes flicked to the doors and then back at the man.

"Don't bother, babe. Markus can have your arm twisted all the way behind you back quicker than you can blink." The girl continued. "The boss wants to see you."

"You know I don't answer to Crowley anymore, Allison." Ruby hissed.

"Oh, darling." Allison sighed sympathetically like she was talking to a misguided child. "We all answer to Crowley. I hope you don't learn that the hard way."

* * *

"Cas dropped by this morning. He's having some trouble locating stuff that Daniel might've had." Sam said as he watched Dean stuff his mouth with bacon. "Dean slow down, you're going to choke yourself."

"oh time, we ave oo ind ooby." Dean said with his mouth full. Dean had rushed down to the diner across the street from the motel, trying to eat quickly, insistent on finding Ruby.

"Dean, I'm sure she's fine and she'll be back in a few days." Sam sighed. "We need to do research on this Daniel stuff."

A man in a UPS uniform walked up to their booth. He handed Sam a CD. "This is from Crowley." He said, smiling pleasantly. Sam quickly reached into his coat and grabbed his flask of holy water, splashing it into the surprised man's face.

"What the fuck, man?" The UPS guy shouted vehemently. "What's your problem dickwad?" He snapped as he walked away.

"Sorry!" Sam called. Then he stared at the tape. "This isn't Crowley's usual method, is it?" He asked Dean.

Dean raised his eyebrows and wiped his mouth with his napkin. "I don't know, man, but we should watch it."

Back in their motel room, Sam slipped the disk into his laptop. A video screen came up.

A small, scantily clad blonde was perched on a stool. If it weren't for the tight leather skirt and tiny tank top, she would've looked like the world's most innocent wallflower. Dean made a face. "Is Crowley sending us porn?"

"Hi Winchesters." The blonde said. "I'm Allison. I'm Crowley's right hand demon. It's nice to finally meet you." The camera shifted to show Ruby hanging from the ceiling by her wrists. "As you know," Allison continued. "Crowley has a very important plan. And you two are in his way. All you have to do is stay in your dingy little hotel room for the next 48 hours, and Ruby won't get hurt any more than she already is." Allison paused and took a syringe of clear liquid from her pocket. She jabbed the needle into Ruby's arm and pressed down on the plunger. Ruby jerked awake and shrieked as the holy water started burning through her veins. "Trust me. I taught Alistair everything he knew." Allison winked at the camera.

"Dean," Ruby gasped.

"Oh, she speaks!" Allison gasped, clapping her hands in delight. "Do go on."

"Stay away. The bitch is more twisted than neurotic pretzel." Ruby said, her voice dry and cracking.

"Somebody has to wash out their mouth." Allison chided, and she picked up a bottle of salt from the floor. She forced Ruby's mouth open, and a steady stream of salt flowed into her mouth. Ruby screamed, choking on her own spit and the salt, which was burning its way down her throat and into her belly.

Dean could feel his breakfast coming up his throat just listening to Ruby's screams of agony, but he was immobilized, he couldn't move, his eyes were glued to the screen.

"On the other hand, I've heard that you Winchesters love suicide missions, so Ruby and I are at Warehouse 56 in Mayberry, North Carolina. I'll be waiting." Allison paused, pretending to ponder. "Oh, and Dean? I'm sure Ruby will look so much prettier burning on the ceiling than Jessica did." She winked again and the screen went black.

Dean stared at the blank screen for a few moments. Then he strode over to the table and picked up his keys.

"Dean!" Sam slammed his hand against the door. "No. We can't just go there. We need a plan and reinforcements. You heard her. She's waiting for us."

"She has Ruby." Dean said through gritted teeth. "That bitch is torturing Ruby." Dean said Ruby's name like it was the world's most legitimate excuse.

"I know, and we're going to go get her, but first we need Cas and whatever else we can scrape up. You heard what Ruby said. This demon's dangerous."

**Okay, so I know this is shorter than my previous updates, but I've been soo busy since school started, so my updates are going to be a little bit shorter and they'll take a little longer too. I'm applying for boarding school, so that going to be another setback in my writing, but I hope for the best! *fingers crossed* Thanks to all the people who reviewed and favorited. For those of you that haven't, please review and favorite!**


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